Thursday, May 22, 2014

Restoring the meaning of Memorial Day -- May 22, 2014 column

For many of us, Memorial Day is a
long weekend of backyard barbecues and beach trips, the unofficial start of
summer fun.

But it wasn’t always so. Memorial
Day began as a spontaneous outpouring of grief after the ravages of the Civil
War.

At least 620,000 soldiers – about
2.5 percent of the population – perished in that war. Recent estimates put the
toll far higher – closer to 20 percent of the population. Nearly every family
lost someone. To cope with their sorrow, groups of women began visiting their
loved ones’ graves and decorating them with spring flowers.

The ritual, known as Decoration
Day, sprang up in the North and South. One of the first was in Columbus, Ga.,
in April 1866, when women visited a cemetery to put flowers on the graves of Confederate
soldiers who had died in the bloody battle of Shiloh four years earlier. Seeing
the neglected graves of Union soldiers, the women also placed flowers there.

In 1868, Maj. Gen. John A. Logan,
who led an organization of Union veterans, declared that Decoration Day should
be observed on May 30 with ceremonies and strewn flowers. It’s thought he chose
the date because flowers would be in bloom all over the country, according to a
Department of Veterans Affairs history.

By the end of the 19th
century, nearly every community dedicated May 30 to remember their Civil War
dead. After World War I, the commemoration was extended to honor all who died
in American wars.

How, you ask, did we go from
solemnly strewing flower petals to buying mattresses, appliances and big screen
TVs?

Thank -- or blame – the 1960s, Congress
and President Lyndon Johnson. LBJ signed the Uniform Holiday bill in 1968, and,
since 1971, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Washington’s birthday (now
Presidents Day) have been commemorated on Mondays.

“This will mean a great deal to
our families and our children,” LBJ said in a signing statement. “It will
enable families who live some distance apart to spend more time together.
Americans will be able to travel farther and see more of this beautiful land of
ours. They will be able to participate in a wide range of recreational and
cultural activities.”

He didn’t predict that the true
meaning of the holidays might get lost in traffic jams.

For years, the late Sen. Daniel
Inouye of Hawaii tried to restore the dignity of Memorial Day. Inouye, a
veteran who lost his right arm in combat in World War II, introduced a bill in
every Congress to move Memorial Day back to May 30.

“In our effort to accommodate
many Americans by making the last Monday in May Memorial Day, we have lost
sight of the significance of this day to our nation,” Inouye said in a speech
on the Senate floor in 1999. “Instead of using Memorial Day as a time to honor
and reflect on the sacrifices made by Americans in combat, many Americans use
the day as a celebration of the beginning of summer,” he said.

Inouye continued his valiant
effort until his death in 2012. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa of Hawaii has taken up
the quest, introducing the bill last year.

We don’t have to wait on
Washington to honor the fallen on Memorial Day. Many of the 131 national
cemeteries as well as state veterans cemeteries have ceremonies on or around
Memorial Day. To find one near you, check out the list on the VA's National Cemetery
Administration page.

At a time when the VA is
suffering from a health care scandal, here’s some good news. Veterans’ survivors
rank employees at the national cemeteries tops in customer service among all federal
agencies and major national corporations.

The
American Customer Satisfaction Index surveys people about their dealings with
government agencies and companies. Every three years, the survey asks about national cemeteries. In each of the last five surveys – 2001, 2004,
2007 and 2010 and 2013 – the cemeteries have received the top rating for
customer service in the public and private sectors.

National cemeteries are quiet,
green spaces that invite solemn reflection. Make time for a walk in history. Read
the names and dates on the white markers. Thank those who gave their all for us
and our freedom. Happy Memorial Day.